Body weight variability has been suggested to exacerbate chronic inflammation and increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Little is known whether high variability in body weight affects the development of psoriasis. We aimed to investigate the association between weight variability and the risk of psoriasis Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service screening cohort, 8,016,907 people who were free of psoriasis and who underwent at least three health examinations were included. In total, 187,128 (2.33%) participants developed psoriasis during a median follow-up of 3.4 years. There was a linear association between baseline body mass index and the risk of psoriasis. In the multivariable model adjusting for confounding variables, an incrementally increased risk of psoriasis was observed for higher quartiles compared with the lowest quartile group (Q1). The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals comparing the highest (Q4) and lowest quartiles (Q1) of body weight were 1.06 (1.05–1.07) for psoriasis. In subgroup analysis, higher adjusted HRs for psoriasis were observed among the subjects of older age, male, presence of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. High body weight variability was significantly associated with an increased risk of psoriasis. These findings imply that clinicians should encourage patients to maintain proper body weight to help prevent psoriasis.

Body Weight Variability and the Risk of Psoriasis: A Nationwide Population-based Cohort Study